We help hospitality brands become places people want to gather, talk about, and keep coming back to.

We create magic, spark lasting memories, and drive meaningful revenue for distinctive hospitality brands and forward-thinking partners.

The Department of Apéritif is a hospitality agency operating at the intersection of culture, connection, and business growth. We specialize in cultural experience design—using food, wine, architecture, art, music, and conversation to build brand affinity and create places people want to gather, celebrate, and return to.

Our approach is rooted in relationships. While our roots are in San Francisco and Wine Country, our network extends across the country's leading hospitality markets—including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami—and increasingly around the world. We bring together the right people, brands, and ideas at the right moment. Whether it's a restaurant opening, an intimate dinner with influential tastemakers, or an unexpected cultural collaboration, we create experiences that feel effortless, relevant, and impossible to replicate.

We specialize in high-touch event sales management, helping hospitality brands maximize revenue while protecting the quality of the guest experience. Through proactive sales strategies, relationship-building, and thoughtful client management, we fill exceptional spaces with intention—allowing on-site teams to remain focused on delivering extraordinary hospitality.

Our approach to marketing and public relations extends well beyond traditional media outreach. We shape brand narrative, guide positioning, and align press, programming, content, and partnerships to build lasting visibility and cultural relevance.

For select partners, this means serving as an outsourced marketing and communications department. At Starlite—one of San Francisco's most storied cocktail destinations—we oversee public relations, programming strategy, brand storytelling, partnerships, and ongoing marketing, ensuring every touchpoint supports the brand, the business, and the bottom line.

We also design and produce immersive experiences that bring brands to life—from restaurant openings and launch parties to media dinners, retreats, destination events, and cultural programming. Our strategic partnerships connect hospitality with fashion, design, spirits, technology, and the arts, creating collaborations that introduce brands to new audiences and become part of the cultural conversation.

At its core, The Department of Apéritif exists to make hospitality feel effortless. The best experiences are thoughtful without feeling overworked, culturally relevant without chasing trends, and memorable because every little detail has been considered.